2. Anything eaten or drunk along with plain food such as bread or potatoes, to give a relish or savour (Ayr. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayr. 692; Lth. 1825 Jam.; Slk.1 1929; Uls. 1953 Traynor), an appetiser, a condiment; in later usage, something savoury for tea, the cooked dish in high tea. Also attrib. and fig. Gen. (exc. n.)Sc. Found in n.Eng. dial. See also Kitchie, n., 2.
Sc. 1721 J. KellyProverbs 127: Whatever [we] eat with Bread, or take to make course Meat go down, we call Kitchin, as Butter to Bread, and Milk to stir about, etc.Edb. 1731 Bk. Old Edb. Club XVII. 71: [Pottage] to which adding twenty four half mutchkins Two penny ale which is reckoned sufficient kitchin for breakfast to said 24 Persons at ¼d per half-mutchkin.Ayr. 1787 BurnsLetters (Ferguson) No. 130: The cats like kitchen; The dogs like broo.Mry. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 XIV. 401: The cottagers and poorer sort of the people have not always what is called kitchen, that is, milk or beer, to their meals.Sc. a.1814 J. RamsayScot. and Scotsmen (1888) II. 203: When there was no flesh, kitchen of one kind or other was given after the kail — that is, either butter, cheese, eggs, herrings, and sometimes raw onions, which were annually imported from Flanders.Sc. 1821 ScottPirate xi.: A hungry heart wad scarce seek better kitchen to a barley scone, than just to waft it in the reek that's rising out of yon lums.Sc. 1831 WilsonNoctes Amb. (1855) III. 293: Catchup's gran kitchen for a' kinds o' flesh, fish, and fule.Uls. 1875 D. HerbisonChildren of Year 134: When Hawkie's dry, And every ither kitchen's dear.Abd. 1877 W. AlexanderRural Life 55: Permitting no malt liquor in their families but merely as kitchen (that is as a nourishing and palatable addition) to bread or dry food where milk cannot be had.Ork. 1880 DennisonSketch-Bk. 129: A aire o' lempit breu — For kitchen wi' reuthy breid to deu.Kcb. 1893 CrockettRaiders ii.: The content to be doing wi' little, an the saving salt o' honour to be kitchen to your piece.Sh. 1914 Old-Lore Misc. VII. ii. 72: K'nockit corn (groats) was boiled with kail and a morsel of pork as “keetchin”.Rnf. 1927 J. H. BoneLoud-speaker 28: We'll hae a bit kitchen fur supper.Ags. 1930 A. KennedyOrra Boughs ii.: A tea with ham and eggs for “kitchen”.

3. Fig. Perquisites of food, esp. those given to farm-servants and female servants (Sc. 1887 Jam., Add.; Lnk. 1890; Slg., Gall. 1942), a money-allowance given in lieu of such perquisites. Comb.: †kitchen-money, id.
Sc. 1750 Atholl MSS.: A Cows Grass or a Shilling per week throw all the year (for Kitchin or for Milk).Fif. 1794 R. BeatsonAgric. Fife 16: A ploughman or carter has per annum, from ¥6 to ¥8 Sterling, six and a half bolls of oat-meal, 6d. per week for sap or kitchen money.Lth. 1795 Stat. Acc.1 I. 218: Kitchen is an allowance instead of milk, butter, small beer, and some articles of less value.Knr. 1814 P. GrahamAgric. Knr. 140: When the servants are married, and reside in their own houses, they receive . . . 30s. per annum for what is called kitchen, with sometimes a few coals driven.Peb. 1845 Stat. Acc.2 III. 141: Victuals in the house, or living meal and kitchen money yearly.

2. To make (something) go far or spin out, to be economical with, to use sparingly as kitchen (Slk. 1825 Jam.; Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.; m.Dmf. c.1920; Uls. 1953 Traynor; Sh., s.Sc. 1960). Also in n.Eng. dial.
Sc. 1721 J. KellyProverbs 228: Kitchin well is come to the Town. Spoken by Mothers to their Children, when they would have them spare what they give them to their Bread; for they have no more to give them.Sc. 1835 Wilson's Tales of the Borders I. 252: When the king and his courtiers were retiring to sit down to their wine, and their feasts o' fat things, and his poor half-hungered soldiers to kitchen out a broken biscuit, or a piece o' bare bannock.Slk. 1960 : Ye maun kitchen your meat tae your brose, i.e. cut your coat according to your cloth.

[O.Sc. keching, a.1428, kechyne, 1400, kitchen, an allowance of kitchen food given as provisions; something taken as a relish with plainer food, c.1577; kechenfee, 1494, dripping.]